


Kyle Valenti and Bro Jock Redemption

by larenoz



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Meta, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-19
Updated: 2019-08-19
Packaged: 2020-09-07 14:53:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20311330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/larenoz/pseuds/larenoz
Summary: The character of Kyle Valenti is an important representation of the ability of men to recognise, own and modify their toxic masculinity. Kyle’s process and journey is subtle and all the more powerful for it.





	Kyle Valenti and Bro Jock Redemption

**Author's Note:**

> This is a slightly modified version of comments originally posted on Tumblr. 
> 
> I'm @larenoz just about everywhere.

Every episode of Roswell New Mexico chips away at the stereotype of Kyle Valenti. We expect the worst but every interaction with other characters subvert our expectations in the best way. We expect an alpha male surgeon, the bro jock on steroids. But what we get is a grounded, compassionate man who at his core is a carer, who recognises his past transgressions against other people and does his best to be a better person today than he was yesterday.

While bro jock redemption isn’t new on television, it’s often done with the subtlety of a hammer. What Roswell New Mexico is gives us is a redemption arc done with the deftness and precision of a scalpel. We aren’t hit over the head with Kyle’s journey, and it isn’t done at the expense of other characters being compromised.

His representation regarding the ability of men to recognise, own and modify their toxic masculinity is vital. Kyle’s process and journey are subtle and all the more powerful for it.

When we do see this sort of redemption arc, it is so often tied to a love interest. The protagonist is shown the error of his ways by his true love and changes themselves to be worthy of that love interest. That doesn’t happen with Kyle (as far as we know). Kyle has been influenced by external events and people to be sure - perhaps most obviously in his discussion with Isobel about his medical residency in Idaho. They have acted as a catalyst for Kyle to reflect and make the decision to change how he thinks and acts, but ultimately he has made these decisions, he has changed his behaviour.

Another important aspect of the portrayal of Kyle’s journey I like is that he isn’t really praised for his growth. He shouldn’t be. I feel that perhaps Alex’s acceptance of Kyle’s apology and acknowledgement of Kyle’s changed behaviour isn’t as enthusiastic as many in the fandom believe. But it shouldn’t be. While Kyle would like Alex’s forgiveness or validation, he doesn’t need it. Ultimately, it’s not about Alex, it’s about Kyle and what he does. As such, I think that even if Alex had not accepted Kyle’s apologies, it wouldn’t change how Kyle behaves.

It has to be an internal process, not dependent on external validation.

Related to this is the fact that other characters (eg Alex) are not forced to comprise themselves by forgiving Kyle as some sort of reward for his reformed behaviour. This is important because it means that Kyle isn’t pushing the emotional work onto other people, he carries it and does it himself.

And it’s done quietly, Kyle rarely explicitly addresses this new him. We see it in his apology to Alex but most directly in his discussion with Isobel, where he recounts his experience during his residency, where he was forced to confront what being a doctor is really about.

And I think that is a very important process to see on screen and one that we so rarely do.

It is so important to see someone like Kyle continually working on being a better person – not because he’ll be praised or to assuage his own guilt – but because it’s the right thing to do. Kyle is put to the test in the Gun Shop scene, where Kyle is questioning everything about what he has become, in the context of fearing for his life. He is in a life and death situation and when presented with an obvious, easy choice which would mean compromising his principles, he chooses a different path that allows him to stay true to them.

Kyle has also learnt one of the most important lessons, that he isn’t done yet. That his journey to be a better person won’t ever be done, that it is a choice he will have to consciously make every day for the rest of his life.


End file.
